Desert Sailplane storage

I just moved from Virginia where my glider was stored
inside a hangar to El Paso, Texas. For the time being,
I will have to store it in my enclosed trailer outside.
I own a fiberglass Concept70 with metal flaps. Any
of you desert flyers have any tips, warnings, suggestions
about storage.
Charlie mcLaurin

Charles McLaurin wrote:
I just moved from Virginia where my glider was stored
inside a hangar to El Paso, Texas. For the time being,
I will have to store it in my enclosed trailer outside.
I own a fiberglass Concept70 with metal flaps. Any
of you desert flyers have any tips, warnings, suggestions
about storage.
Charlie mcLaurin
I know that the material used in most canopies is hygroscopic which is
one reason they tend to warp when a glider is moved from a dryer
climate to a more humid one. In fact, when I purchased a Ventus which
had spent most of its time in a dry climate and moved it to southern
Florida, it was not long (a few weeks) before I had to have assistance
closing the canopy before each flight. In addition, I have heard that
gelcoat is also hygroscopic and tends to absorb moisture which is one
reason gliders get heavier over time in humid climates.
I'm curious if anyone has advice on moving from a humid climate to a
dry one on the impact, if any, to a glider. I myself will be moving
next year to a dryer climate and I will be bringing my glider with me.
As to the post above, the one piece of advice I have consistently heard
is that fiberglass trailers do not block all the UV, therefore it is
prudent to coat the inside of the trailer with a UV blocking paint. Or
keep the glider in a hangar. A good solar vent is also cheap insurance
if you can reduce any potential condensation inside the trailer by
keeping the air moving.
Respectfully,

wrote:

As to the post above, the one piece of advice I have consistently heard
is that fiberglass trailers do not block all the UV, therefore it is
prudent to coat the inside of the trailer with a UV blocking paint. Or
keep the glider in a hangar.

I've heard this, too. Has anyone measured the UV transmission of a
glider trailer top? Since most plastic absorbs UV well, it's hard to
imagine much of the UV gets through the resin (and the paint, if that's
used). Glass also absorbs UV, so I'd expect the fiberglass to also
reduce the UV.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

Has anyone measured the UV transmission of a
glider trailer top? Since most plastic absorbs UV well, it's hard to
imagine much of the UV gets through the resin (and the paint, if that's
used).

All new Cobra trailers are painted black inside and have been for some time for
just this reason. My 1999 one is black inside.


Robert Mudd

Robertmudd1u wrote:
snip
All new Cobra trailers are painted black inside and have been for
some time for
just this reason. My 1999 one is black inside.


Robert Mudd

One could also epoxy a layer of heavy duty houshold aluminum foil to
the inside of a fiber-glass shell trailer. If any UV radiation gets
through that, we have a much bigger problem on our hands. ;-)
Uli Neumann

GM wrote:
Robertmudd1u wrote:

snip
All new Cobra trailers are painted black inside and have been for

some time for

just this reason. My 1999 one is black inside.


Robert Mudd


One could also epoxy a layer of heavy duty houshold aluminum foil to
the inside of a fiber-glass shell trailer. If any UV radiation gets
through that, we have a much bigger problem on our hands. ;-)
Uli Neumann

I was thinking of using 3M adhesive spray for this. Then again, my ship
is 27 yo and has lived most of its life in a fiberglass trailer in
Colorado (5500-7500 ft msl), so what really is the point?

Shawn

I think the key question is, Has anyone done any studies to see how much UV
really penetrates through the trailer? Solutions are great, but I really
question whether any UV really does penetrate through the paint and fiberglass
shell.


Jim Vincent
N483SZ
illspam

Jim Vincent wrote:
I think the key question is, Has anyone done any studies to see how
much UV
really penetrates through the trailer? Solutions are great, but I
really
question whether any UV really does penetrate through the paint and
fiberglass
shell.


Jim Vincent
N483SZ
illspam

Jim,

I raised that question with the 'Experts' of Edmund Optical. They were
clueless as far as detecting and/or measuring UV light. Does anybody
have a practical idea? Are there UV-meters?

Uli Neumann

I raised that question with the 'Experts' of Edmund Optical. They were
clueless as far as detecting and/or measuring UV light. Does anybody
have a practical idea? Are there UV-meters?


I googled around and found a company called solar.com that happens to be in my
area. I'll call them on Tuesday and see if they might be willing to loan me an
instrument for 20 minutes. I'm willing to drive my trailer down to their
office to see what the results are. I'll post any results here.

Jim Vincent
N483SZ
illspam

A somewhat easier solution is to get a "black light" out of your attic from
when you had all of those black light posters in high school...they transmit
mostly UV-A. Have someone stand on the outside of your trailer at night and
crawl inside to see what light is transmitted. Little if any gets through
but you would do best to prove it to yourself.

Besides it may even inspire you to take a trip down to the local "head shop"
and buy a few more posters of Jimi Hendrix. ;-)

Casey Lenox
KC
Phoenix